Inquiry into chief, captain dropped due to testimony snafu

DENHAM SPRINGS- Chief of Police Scott Jones and Captain Steve Kistler will not face disciplinary action from the Civil Service Commission after it decided to dismiss complaints against the men following a problem with testimony recordings.

Jones and Kistler faced punishment for allegations that they mismanaged police officers and orchestrated a possible cover-up for an officer suspected of drug use.

Tapes used to record the men's testimony malfunctioned, meaning key evidence was missing. The issue caused the board to dismiss the case.

"The police officer's bill of rights does afford police like Chief Scott Jones to have a full copy of their transcript and because he wasn't afforded that opportunity the result was appropriate, regardless of how they got to the result, we believe the result was right," said Scott Huffstetler, Jones' attorney.

Kistler was visibly pleased with the results and ready to get back to work.

"The main thing in my mind is to get back to what we're supposed to be doing, my personal needs are secondary to what we should be doing, which is get back to protecting this town and enforcing the laws," said Kistler.